


Caged Light

by junipersand



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Adventurers!DreamTeam, Adventurers!SBI, Angel!Antfrost, Angst, Badboyhalo-centric, Basically, Guardian Angel!Bad, Guardian Angel!Philza, RPG Format
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:02:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27797389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junipersand/pseuds/junipersand
Summary: The trapped angel hung alone, like a fractured nightingale in a rusting cage.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 129





	1. Reference Sheet

## [Caged Light] takes place in a fantasy setting. For easy reference, it will be based on an RPG-Gameplay format. 

### Glossary

 **DPS: Damage Per Second**  
This class-type would spend more time than [Burst] thinking about their actions, so they spend more time defeating their enemy in battles, but is often consistent.

 **Burst**  
This class-type is hot-headed and would not hesitate to throw oneself into the line of fire. They hardly spend any time for plans, and the battle will not be consistent.

 **Tank**  
This class-type has high endurance mentally and physically. Often the leader of the group.

 **Healing**  
Self-explanatory.

 **Primary and Secondary**  
Primary means that the class puts more focus on this type. Secondary receives less focus/training.

 **AOE: Area of Effect**  
Their ability spreads to a wide area, whether it be negative or positive.

### Classes

###### Adventurer Classes

**Vanguards**

  * Swordsman (DPS)
  * Berserker (Burst)
  * Paladins (DPS/Tank)
  * Lancer (DPS)
  * Warrior (DPS/Burst)



**Backlines**

  * Necromancer (DPS)
  * Ranger (DPS)
  * Wizard (DPS/Burst)



**Support**

  * Priest (Healing – Primary: Magic | Secondary: Medicine)
  * Cleric (Healing – Primary: Medicine | Secondary: Magic)
  * Bard (AOE Support)
  * Enchanter



###### Other Classes

**Angels**

  * Common Angels 
    * No Special Ability  
  

  * 7 Holy Virtues 
    * Chastity
    * Temperance
    * Charity
    * Diligence
    * Patience
    * Kindness
    * Humility



**Seraphs**

  * Stability
  * Intelligence
  * Vengeance
  * Perseverance 



### Kingdoms

**Archive**   
_Lead By: Princess Lani/Tubling_   
_Democratic  
_

**Amor**   
_Lead By: Queen Minx_   
_Matriarchy  
  
_

**Gateau**   
_Lead By: Princess Nihachu  
Democratic  
  
_

**Noninveni**   
_Lead By: George  
Democratic  
  
_

**Faigata**   
_Lead By: Duckio_   
_Patriarch  
  
_

**Paradisum**   
_Lead By: BadBoyHalo  
N/A  
  
_

**Infernum**   
_Lead By: Ranboo  
N/A_

### Status Effects

 **Angel’s Blessing**  
Blessed are immune to Curses, illusion magic, & can see hidden Angels.

 **Angel’s Grace**  
Less powerful version of [Angel’s Blessing]. Graced are resistant to Curses and illusion magic. Can sense hidden Angels.

 **Devil’s Curse**  
Cursed cannot receive positive status effects, but they can easily pinpoint demons & people with bad intentions.

 **All-Seeing Eye**  
An extremely rare ability. Depending on the user’s mastery, the user can learn anything about a certain event/object.

### Characters

###### Dream Team

  * **Dream** (Paladin) 
    * Main Weapon: Enchanted Axe
    * Has an [Angel’s Blessing]
    * Mastered Intermediate Light Magic
    * Blessed by Bad  
  

  * **Sapnap** (Berserker) 
    * Main Weapon: Enchanted/Retractable Shield
    * Has an [Angel’s Blessing]
    * No Magic Affinity
    * Blessed by Bad  
  

  * **George** (Wizard) 
    * Has an [Angel’s Blessing]
    * Main Magic Affinity: Abjuration
    * Secondary Magic Affinity: Alteration
    * Blessed by Bad  
  

  * **BadBoyHalo** (Seraph of Perseverance) 
    * Blessed [Dream, George, Skeppy & Sapnap]
    * The only Seraph left after Dream, George and Sapnap perished to the demons
    * Pure Light Magic & Healing
    * Unable to differentiate reality from illusion



###### Sleepy Bois INC

  * **Technoblade** (Warrior) 
    * Has an [Angel’s Grace]
    * Main Weapon: Cursed Sword 
      * _Curse of Binding_
    * No Magic Affinity  
  

  * **Philza** (Virtue: Temperance) 
    * Graced [Technoblade, Tommy, Wilbur]
    * No Weapon
    * Magic Affinity: Abjuration  
  

  * **TommyInnit** (Wizard/Enchanter) 
    * Has an [Angel’s Grace].
    * Main Magic Affinity: Fire & Wind Elementals
    * Main Enchant: Sharpness | Unbreaking | Curse of Binding  
  

  * **Tubbo** (Ranger/Necromancer) 
    * Has a [Devil’s Curse].
    * Main Weapon: Enchanted Bow & Arrow [of Poison/Healing] 
      * _Curse of Binding_
    * Main Summons: Undead/Vengeful Insects  
  

  * **Wilbur** (Bard) 
    * Has an [Angel’s Grace]
    * Main Instrument: Harp [Can play anything with strings] 
      * Positive Status Effect (To Ally)
      * Negative Status Effect (To Enemy)



###### Idots

  * **Skeppy** (Berserker) 
    * Has an [Angel’s Blessing]
    * Main Weapon: Enchanted Sword 
      * _Smite_ | _Mending_ | _Blood Clean_
    * Magic Affinity: Gemstone  
  

  * **Finn** (Priest/Enchanter) 
    * Magic Affinity: Divination
    * Knows [All-Seeing Eye], Novice.
    * Can see visions of the future
    * Main Enchants: _Mending_ | _Blood Clean_
    * Secondary Enchants: _Smite_  
  

  * **Spifey** (Ranger) 
    * Has an [Angel’s Grace]
    * Main Weapon: Enchanted Trident 
      * _Loyalty_ | _Channeling_
    * No Magic Affinity  
  

  * **Vurb** (Warrior) 
    * Main Weapon: Enchanted Sword 
      * _Smite_ | _Mending_ | _Blood Clean_
    * No Magic Affinity  
  

  * **Zelk** (Paladin) 
    * Focus on Tank rather than DPS.
    * Main Weapon: Enchanted Shield 
      * _Thorns_ | _Mending_ | _Unbreaking_



###### Villain(s)

  * **Schlatt** (Swordsman) 
    * Used to be an adventurer but sought more power.
    * Ate a demon and became a halfling
    * His friend (Connor) died because of an accusation and he sought vengeance since.



###### Bedwars Trio

  * **Purpled** (Paladin) 
    * Main Weapon: Enchanted Darkstone Sword 
      * _Knockback_
    * No Magic Affinity  
  

  * **Astelic** (Berserker/Bard) 
    * Main Weapon: Enchanted Staff 
      * _Knockback_ | _Fire Aspect_
    * Main Instrument: Voice 
      * Positive Status effects (to Allies)
      * Remove Negative Status effects (to Allies)
    * Magic Affinity: Sorcery  
  

  * **Wallibear** (Wizard) 
    * Main Magic Affinity: Illusion
    * Secondary Magic Affinity: Divination



###### Slayers

  * **Illumina** (Lancer) 
    * Main Weapon: Enchanted Close-ranged daggers 
      * _Loyalty_ | _Blood Clean_ | _Mending_
    * No magic affinity  
  

  * **Dream** (Paladin)  
  

  * **Fruitberries** (Warrior) 
    * Main Weapon: Enchanted Spear 
      * _Mending_ | _Loyalty_ | _Blood Clean_
    * Magic Affinity: Conjuration _  
  
_
  * ~~**Puffy** (Swordsman)~~
    * ~~Main Weapon: Enchanted Obsidian Sword~~
      * _~~Blood Clean~~_ ~~| _Sharpness_ | _Fire Aspect_~~
    * ~~No Magic Affinity  
  
~~
  * **NiceTwice** (Wizard) ~~~~
    * Main Magic Affinity: Alchemy ~~~~
    * Secondary Magic Affinity: Astrology ~~~~



###### Deceased

  * **Captain Puffy** (Swordsman) 
    * Member of the Slayers
    * Died a noble sacrifice  
  

  * **Connor** (Cleric) 
    * Executed because of a wrongful accusation  
  

  * **TapL/Harvey** (Angel) 
    * Died because of _The Nethering Curse*_
    * Blessed [Spifey].
    * Formally the Guardian of Idiots before he died.



###### Others

  * **Quackity** (Jack-of-all-Trades, Magic-wise) 
    * Knows [All-Seeing Eye], Intermediate level.
    * Gives information if you can afford his prices.  
  

  * **Minx** (Priest/Berserker) 
    * Queen of Amor.
    * Main Weapon: Mace
    * Best friends with Niki.
    * Former adventurer with Kacey & Austin  
  

  * **Niki** (Necromancer) 
    * Princess of Gateau.
    * Main Summons: Skeletons & Hellhounds.
    * Best friends with Minx.
    * Sometimes accompanies the SBI on their journey when it involves the undead.  
  

  * **Duckio** (Paladin)  
  




_Nethering Curse: A disease that wears down an Angel or Demon's magic and eventually soul. Created by a human._


	2. Chapter 2

Over the course of the years, Dream has made many notable memories in his life. Like everybody else, he had just as many celebrations as there were tragedies. He could remember the day where he met his friends; the day he met with other adventurers in guilds after a long journey; and the time he was celebrated as part of the party that had killed the ferocious dragon that terrorized humankind. But he could also recall the very moment he lost his horse; the moment where a friend sacrificed herself for a cure for a disease; and the moment his mask was ripped from his face as the villain rejoiced his defeat. Those were his past imprinted as images and faint sounds in his mind, the things that made him who he was today. His experiences and journey were the tools that shaped him from a mere ore to a polished diamond.

One of his earliest memories, however, weren’t like any others. While he could barely remember his father’s voice and his mother’s face, one particular memory remained with him, staying pristine and colorful despite the wash of time. It didn’t matter how much time had passed, or how many times his mind had been tampered with magic, or how hard his head had been hit. It was a reminder to him, an invisible chisel that made the base of where his being stood today. It was the thing that carved his name into his skin, a permanent mark of the man he would become.

It was the silhouette of an angel, with a halo so bright that his face couldn’t be seen. Clad in dark robes instead of white, he reached out to young Dream, whispering all the things he would accomplish in his life. Leaning forward, Dream had felt the buzzing warmth of his skin as the angel pressed their foreheads together. _You are destined for great things_ , he said, voice like the summer wind. The angel then disappeared, fading into the night sky. His golden feathers trickled away like fairy lights, and Dream remembered reaching out, feeling the disappearing softness of the wings—

When he opened his hand, there was only one golden feather left in his hand, glowing faintly in his dark room. There was a knock on his door, and Dream quickly slid into his bed, pretending to be asleep. Under the covers, he held the feather close to his face, each fiber of the feather like spun gold.

Dream stared at the feather in his hand, lips pursing as the shop’s cheery atmosphere buzzed around him. The feather was bright gold, having experienced no change despite the passage of time and all the hardships he endured. There was a glass of beer on the wooden table he leaned on, his cheek resting on his palm. _George is taking too long_ , he thought, taking note that Sapnap had begun to doze off into the land of Morpheus. They promised to meet at Punz’s tavern three hourglass turns ago, yet the brunet hasn’t made an effort to show himself.

He brushed the feather’s strands with his thumb. Gold light hummed from the feather. This feather was his only memento of the black-robed angel, the only proof that he wasn’t hallucinating. An angel with a halo and golden wings in black robes. In his journeys, he’d encountered real angels. Angels that were brash and angels that were mere children. Angels that liked cheese and angels that despised humankind. The other angels all had wings like snow and a halo that did not glow. They wore robes of white. His angel wasn’t anything like that. His angel was gentle and loving, even if they only met for mere moments.

Sapnap leaned forward on the table and rubbed his eyes. He, too, was blessed by the same angel Dream met when he was a teen running from his parents. Unlike Dream, who’d been blessed at a young impressionable age, Sapnap didn’t have the same appreciation for the angel like he did. To him, the encounter was merely another day in many. It’s understandable—since the Calling had caught up to him whilst he was in the midst of his own crisis. He was fortunate that he met Dream at his lowest point, or who knows what would have happened to him.

“You’re still holding onto that.” Sapnap pointed at the feather in Dream’s hand. “Are you going to keep it after you get a girlfriend? What if she doesn’t like it?” In their early days, Dream could always be seen with a necklace that had a gold feather charm. As the days passed, the necklace evolved to a bracelet and the bracelet was replaced by sword hilt. Then after Puffy sacrificed her life, Dream opted to hold onto the feather without disguising it as any accessory. That was the comfort he needed the most: raw, undisguised words that held no other intentions.

Dream snorted, putting his hand down. “I’m not going to get a girlfriend.” He scoffed at the idea. Despite slaying the ender dragon, he wasn’t ready to settle down in one place just yet. He still traveled the lands and ventured new kingdoms. He would hear the stories of the Slayers in countries he’d never even heard the name of. It’s not surprising – their tale has spread far and wide, singing their adventures and friendships they made along the way.

Sapnap shrugged. He leaned back on the chair. “Never say never.” He was caught mid-yawn as his eyes caught a familiar royal blue tunic. He clamped his hand over his mouth and whipped to their missing friend. “George finally shows up after three million years. What a surprise.” Dream shot him an incredulous look as George squeezed through the crowds and made his way to their table.

After what seemed like night cycles, George finally plopped himself down to the empty seat, fanning his face with his hand as he lied dramatically on the backrest of his chair. His voice was winded as if he just ran around the town square, his face red and sweat glistening on his forehead. While his friends stayed silent whilst waiting for him to recover, George fished out a rolled parchment from his satchel, and slammed it right at the center on the table. Dream and Sapnap’s glasses shook.

The blond leaned closer, eyes squinting. “What’s this?” His eyebrows raised higher as George spread the parchment and revealed fine ink letters and a signature. The parchment was made of actual paper, expensive and only used by the richer upperclassmen and royal families. Dream hadn’t seen such in a long time, as he no longer accepted quests from his birth kingdom. By him, Sapnap blinked, his curiosity taking over his boredom.

George pointed at the first paragraph. It was written finely. “This,” he said breathlessly, sparing a hand to wipe sweat from his brow, “is an invitation.” His finger moved to the next few paragraphs. “And this,” he continued, drawing a line with his finger over a single sentence, “are the people invited.” George looked up to them, sporting a grin. “We’re invited.”

Sapnap straightened. “Wait wait wait, _what_?” he demanded, aghast. “Invited to what? To some sort of death game?” His face paled. The last time they received an invitation, it resulted in George and Dream being abducted to a foreign country to participate in an involuntary death match. Sapnap had to save them within a week or they’ll be forced to kill each other. It wasn’t a good memory for the either of them. He glared at the parchment. “Who even sent this?”

George shot him a look. “It’s nothing of the sort.” He sounded scandalized. “The world’s at peace. You need to calm down, Sapnap.” He turned the invitation to Sapnap, who glared at it as if it killed Sketchers. “It’s an invitation from the princess of the kingdom Archive.”

“I’ve heard about that country.” Dream’s tone was one of surprise. “Technoblade is a patron there, isn’t he?” He was a major fan of Techno, the unkillable hero was a walking legend that started out as a potato farmer. He decimated an entire army on his own whilst wounded and with his hands tied behind his back. If you said anything false about the guy, Dream would pull out an entire book of facts and prove you wrong in thirteen different ways.

Sapnap sneered at him. “Of course _you_ would know,” he crabbed. “He hasn’t been seen for two years. I think he’s dead.” Dream whipped to him with a horrified look, as if his friend wouldn’t dare to badmouth his idol in a million years. Sapnap snorted at his lovestruck behavior. “You’re a hero too! Why the hell are you so hung up about somebody else? You even have your own statue somewhere.”

“In forty-seven countries, in fact,” George supplied helpfully. “I think I got thirteen. Sapnap has like zero. Anyway—” He continued, ignored Sapnap’s loud cussing, “—it’s about some sort of blessing. They’ve got a new group forming that’s called the SBI. What that stands for – I have no idea, but the summary of it is that they’ve recently conquered the nether—Nevermore—and took down a few tyrants like Schlatt. Now they’re off to uncover the history of the lost Paradise, and the king is making a big deal out of it.”

“The Lost Paradise,” Dream repeated.

“Exactly.” George took a deep breath. “The homeless angels we’ve met. It’s the place where they were born and raised until something happened. The SBI want to unveil the history behind it.”

Dream stared at George, his gaze intense. Sapnap swore he could hear the gears in his brain turning and the thoughts rushing in his mind like trains. Wherever that train was going, it was not the place where he wanted to be. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Dream finally spoke, and Sapnap’s dreads were met with cruel, cruel reality. “Do you think they would let me join in on their quest?” he asked excitedly. He turned to Sapnap and George. “This is our chance! We can finally know why we were blessed by that angel!”

This time it was George’s turn to stare back at him. George was also blessed by that same gold-winged angel, but it had been when he was a mere child. He barely had any memories regarding the blessing itself, and didn’t have any particular emotion or attachment to the angel themself. “Dream, don’t you dare,” he warned. “This isn’t your quest to take. They might not be welcome towards outsiders. They even have a good enough reputation for the country to celebrate the beginning of their quest, unlike us.” Years ago, they were given the stink eye by the entire kingdom when they returned with enough blaze rods to fuel the portal. He wasn’t keen to relive that memory.

“It’s a great chance,” Dream insisted. “If they’re looking for the Aether, then we can definitely help. We were blessed by an angel, guys. An. Actual. Angel. Not only did we met living angels, but we were also _blessed_ by one. You know how angels are. They’re secretive and they hide from humans. They only agreed to talk to us because we were under another angel’s blessing.” Putting a hand on his chest, he took a deep breath and calmed himself. With a steady voice, he reasoned, “If anyone is qualified for help, it’s us. They would _need_ our assistance, in fact.”

His friends stared at him. Usually, they would agree with his ideas, albeit sometimes more hesitant than others, but the look on their faces could only be described as utter disbelief. They looked at him as if he were asking them to seduce each other with bunny girl costumes and tavern maid dress-ups. Sapnap dropped the fork he was using to eat his cake. George’s goggles fell from his head and hung awkwardly from his right ear. If he’d suggested something borderline psychotic like drinking bathwater, they might have considered it. But this was completely off the table. They would rather kiss a dragon than follow his idea.

“Dream,” George said carefully, a frown etched into his brows. “First off, it’s not our quest. Secondly, it’s not _yours_ , either. It’s a quest belonging to some other party that has nothing to do with us. If intrude, you would be interfering with their journey. Thirdly, if our angel wanted anything to do with us, they would have already come and said hi.” George’s voice turned into a whisper, as if he were worried about anyone else overhearing their conversation. “Dream, our time is over. We’re done. The Slayers have already gone into their lives. I heard from Nice that Illumina’s settling down as a merchant.”

Dream mirrored his frown. He balled his hands into a fist, feeling his nails dig into his palm. “I’ve spent my life looking for him,” he spat, glaring at George. “I never wanted to be a Dragon Slayer in the first place. It was just a side-quest that happened to interfere with my actual one. You want to know the reason why I keep this feather? You want to know why I still travel and go on more adventures?” He raised the golden feather to George’s face, the golden glow glittering between them. Flecks of gold danced in their irises like fireflies. “It’s because of _this_.” Dream stabbed a finger on the parchment. “Now there’s an actual group looking for the history of the angels. This is my chance to actually find out what happened to them, after so many years.”

His logic was twisted. Sapnap knew this. Dream’s life was built on the basis of finding someone that did not return for them. His entire person was sculpted to be the person that an unnamed, no-faced being that happened to find them when they were in their darkest time. A shower of gold and a rush of warmth later, the angel had disappeared and cursed them into a life of danger. Yet Dream was persistent and obsessed with finding the pair of wings where the feather had fallen from. The angel who had wings like spun gold and a halo like the sun and stars. Sapnap was nearly convinced that the angel was just a mass hallucination produced by a lonely child, a runaway teenager and a loveless infant. There were no records of an angel with golden wings and a bright halo no matter where they looked. It was as if it were nothing more than a fever dream designed to mess with their heads.

Sapnap hissed, infuriated. “Can you snap out of your stupid fantasy?” he snarled. He leered towards Dream, jabbing a finger on his chest with every word. “You’re not a kid anymore, Dream! You can’t just keep going on adventures just because you want to find someone who wants nothing to do with you!” The inn’s background chatter began to fade into silence, but Sapnap didn’t notice that. He breathed fire from his nostrils, scowling at his former party member. “When will you wake up and realize the person who’s been giving you hope is nothing but a damn _hoax_?”

“Guys—” George started, but was ignored.

Dream shot to his feet, slamming the table as he glowered at the tanned man. “If I didn’t follow this ‘stupid fantasy,’ you would be DEAD!” he roared back. “You’d still be crawling in the woods somewhere, starving to death. They guided me towards you so you wouldn’t be eaten alive by wild animals. They saved your fucking _life_ , Sapnap.”

“Dream—” George was ignored again.

Sapnap pushed his chair back. He met Dream’s glare without hesitation, albeit he was inches shorter than the blond. His hand moved towards his retractable shield on his arm and Dream’s hand hovered over the hilt of his axe. The atmosphere was heavy around them, like a storm brewing between the two heroes. George stood as well, trying to stop them, but there was no use. They were hellbent on beating each other’s brains out, and if they didn’t stop, innocent bystanders might get involved—

Punz coughed between them, holding a tray with his palm. The two whipped to him in surprise, their hostility wavered. “Guys,” he grumbled impatiently, a vein popping on his face, “if you want to duke it out like the children you are, at least don’t do it in my property.” The trio stared at him as well as the entire tavern’s customers. From this day onwards, Punz would be known as the man who dared talk shit in Sapnap and Dream’s face without getting his throat cut. Where in reality, Punz was nothing more than a civilian who’d known them since they started out and developed a numbness to their shenanigans.

The three pairs of widened eyes stared at him. With two pairs widened as they were caught in the midst of their argument, and the third was widened with relief. Dream and Sapnap lowered their hands and blushes were formed on their faces. The tavern’s chatter resumed as a noisome background, and the trio were put into silence by a blond tavern owner.

“Yeah, Punz, sorry about that,” Dream spluttered, sinking back into his seat. He wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes as he rested his cheek on his gloved palm. “We’re not trying to make any trouble.”

Punz snorted, putting a glass of beer on the table in front of George. “Sounds like bullshit to me.” He gave Sapnap a new fork. “Next time, if you want to start yelling, do it somewhere else. It’s bad for business.” He noticed the feather in Dream’s hand when he took Dream’s empty cup away and replaced it with a new drink. “Still looking for that angel of yours?”

“Unfortunately,” Sapnap grumbled under his breath, spite still leaking off from every syllable of his one-worded sentence. Dream whipped to him, glare returning.

George groaned. “Will you two please stop being on each other’s throats?” He used to deal with this on a daily basis, but ever since they went their separate ways after the dragon was defeated, he’d grown fond of the peace and quiet in his house by the countryside. Never had he thought that one day he would be faced with a reunion years later where his immature friends hadn’t changed one bit.

Once again, like a horrible tradition, his words were swept aside as the hostility between the two friends began to rekindle like a fire meeting oil. Punz shook his head and sighed, leaving back to the bar where he would take more orders with his employees Ponk and Sam. George took a big swig of his alcohol and glowered at the two glaring idiots. His head began to ache.

Dream and Sapnap were now making not-so subtle gestures towards each other. Sapnap slid his thumb across his throat. Dream gave him The Finger. Sapnap leaned back and crossed his hands behind his head, giving him a snarking grin. Dream made the top of his index finger and his thumb touch and did something with his left hand that the author does not want to describe. Sapnap threw his fork at him, which Dream ducked and it hit Punz at the back of his head. (“Are you FUCKING kidding me—”) Sapnap quickly apologized before he mouthed, _I’ll kill you_ to Dream whilst shielding his face from Punz.

George stared at them. “Guys,” he snapped irritably, face red and voice deep. “You’re fucking immature.” His friends paused and turned to him. George rarely swore. He only did it when his life was in danger or when he was drunk. “If that’s the attitude you’re going to be having… then I’ll tell the princess we’re not going to the party. Fruit already told me he’s going.” The slur in his voice became evident with the more he talked. Dream winced.

“Look, George, I’m going to that blessing,” he said. “But I think you should lay off the booze.” Dream took George’s cup from his table. It was another refill. How many drinks has he had since he and Sapnap were at each other’s tongues? They weren’t even arguing for that long. He sniffed the alcohol. It wasn’t even that strong, but George was acting like he drank an entire barrel of the stuff. “This isn’t even concentrated. It’s like fruit juice.”

“George, how easily do you get drunk?” Sapnap demanded. He whipped to Dream. “How many did he even have?”

“As far as I know, only one…”

Sapnap’s eyes narrowed. “Is _this_ why he managed to get himself kidnapped four years ago?” he demanded. “It’s because he has shit alcohol tolerance? Is this even humanly possible?” When they were in the midst of the journey, they were forced to infiltrate a rich upperclassmen’s party—whose name was along the lines of Bamboo—for information. George, at the time, somehow managed to get himself drunk enough that he got himself into trouble after three minutes of separation.

Dream sighed. “I think this was a bad idea after all.” He put a pouch full of coins on the table and stood from his chair. He glanced at Sapnap, who was tapping his elbow. “Will I see you at the Blessing?” He didn’t know what kind of answer he was expecting. If he said yes, then Dream wouldn’t be alone, but then again, there were other Slayers he haven’t seen in a long time. If he didn’t, then there would be nobody stopping him from asking the party for him to join them in their quest. Either way, he had set his mind and nobody was going to stop him, friend or no.

Sapnap pursed his lip. He looked reluctant to answer. He’s always been wary of social gatherings and parties in general, especially formal ones like these. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I mean, nothing’s at stake except for my crippling social anxiety. I might just stay home and read some books.” There’s not much to do during this time. Either you went out for parties and bars or you stay home and read books or tend to your farm or pet.

Dream managed a bleak smile. Sapnap was always dismissing his expectations and calculations by giving him answers he didn’t think about. It was what made them good friends. “Alright then,” he said. “I’ll be heading off; and good luck with George, by the way.”

Stale breaths. Aching arms. Sore limbs. Broken wings. Shattered halo.

The dark angel breathed heavy as gold ichor trickled from his wounds, finding the strength look up to his captor.

A dark show stood where his captor should be. A strong arm lunged towards his neck, pinning him to the ground of the obsidian cage that trapped him. The angel heard raucous cheers, distant but near.

Magic words. Words that he heard many times over. An incantation repeated so frequently that he memorized it word for word. _Sacrifice for the Devil King_. _Untainted angel’s blood._ A sword was raised high, catching the light of the shards from the shattered halo. From the blade, the angel saw his own face. Bloodied and bruised, but unwavering.

The sword was brought down, and the angel’s heart no longer beat.

Yet he lived, even as his blood filled the cage’s floor and dribbled down to waiting bowls. A sacrifice. A ritual. A tradition. Something that would happen over and over again without fail.

His attacker removed the sword from his chest. The dark, stygian blade now glistening with golden ichor. The captor left and the cage was locked. The chains of the cage rumbled and it was hung over a valley of death, far out where nobody could reach him.

The angel laid motionless in the cage. Drained of blood, the angel did not move. The cage creaked as the winds blew by. Loose feathers followed the wind’s breeze, gliding into dark ravine below, like golden lights snuffed out by shadows.

The trapped angel hung alone, like a fractured nightingale in a rusting cage.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you for reading the first chapter of this new book. It's scuffed and there's not much plot, so it would probably end before it hits 10 chapters. It's just my self-indulgent fic that I've finally gotten around to writing.
> 
> Anyway, if you're a BBH and Skeppy fan, here's a fic recommendation! 
> 
> Lionhearts by FreedomFlier (JynX245). It's a good read and I'd definitely read it again sometime.  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/27366865/chapters/66873631


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